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Weblog Genres
What's a Blog? In Spring, 2003 a couple of teachers at East Side Community High School, NYC, Kiran, Sarvenaz and Paul started using a Manila weblog with students. The school has always had a remarkably effective independent reading program. An East Side student can be spotted on the subway by the book in his or her hand. Humanities teachers 7-12 organize logging processes and journals and just give time--silence--for selecting and reading books. It's a pleasure to be able to stop any student and ask, "What book are your reading right now?" At first, we decided to latch weblogging onto this already successful part of the ESCHS culture. We had students write and respond to each others online journal entries about the books they were reading. Although this remains an important aspect to our blogging practice, we have found many other ways for students to use their blogs. Below you will find descriptions of these different blogging genres and In 2003-04 academic year, Humanities teachers Kiran Chaudhuri and Sarvenaz Zekah pioneered the use of blogs with all of their Web Journals Informal, often short pieces of writing You can: * Freewrite about anything that's on your mind at the moment. ** What Is Your Problem??? by Ashley R ** Describe a recent experience. **I Met Good Charlotte, by Gizelle * Include an exercise from your writer's notebook. ** To My Unborn Child, by Randy *Respond to an assignment by a teacher. ** Maintaining Knight Status, by Devon * Regularly follow a topic of personal interest over time. ** NBA season is underway! Who are the worst and best teams in each confernce? by Jeremiah (also follow his jersey icon) * Compose a poem or drop a rap or lyric. ** In My Pink Tee 187 Style, by Westley ** The Voice of the Boy, by Jay Content Matters Most Readers and responders often respond to the content of these messages. Keep in mind that a Web Journal is typically not revised and only lightly proofread. The writing is often closer to what you might find in a private journal, not a published magazine or book. Language Is the language different from similar paper forms because the sense of audience? Technology **News Items with in the title **choose name from News Departments **Personal Icon linked to Department (all News Items) **Listed on Sort by Students index page ***in last 10 ***all **Discuss link at the bottom of all messages readingBlogs Language: How might it be different as a writer to copy and paste sentence starters like these as compared to using a paper list? Do the sentence starters (as we use them) generate or restrict writing and thinking about books? Are the sentence starters clear scaffolding, allowing a young writer to mimic mature responses to books? Do they stifle personal response, encourage dependence, and limit thinking? Is there evidence of an awareness of audience? Does this change anything in how these reading journals seems to be written? Technology: use of Sentence Starters News Items with "readingBlog" in the title choose name from News Departments Personal Icon linked to Department (all News Items) Listed on Sort by Students index page in last 10 all Discuss link at the bottom of all messages REsponses Language: Do the sentence starters generate or restrict response writing? What's different in the language used in response on a blog from what might be said verbally or written on paper? Any important language differences in responses to webJournals and readingBlogs? How are these responses similar to and different from what you might find on a discussion forum (like Nicenet)? Technology: Students find messages through "Last 50 Messages" on the Home Page Sort by Student Calendar (used infrequently) Writers are alerted that a response was left by seeing number of discussion items Discussion items appear after last one in a list (not like a tree in a discussion forum) Listed on Sort by Students index page - on list of all items. linkOuts Language: What kind of language are students using when they summarize, show opinions and read Web sites critically? Technology: News Items with "linkOut" in the title choose name from News Departments Personal Icon linked to Department (all News Items) Listed on Sort by Students index page in last 10 all Discuss link at the bottom of all messages (rarely used) When students choose topic in Link_list box at bottom, their links get listed on a separate page, using metadata tags. Geometer's Sketchpad (GSP) Language: Is there any difference between the process logs students write because they are public? Technology Use of Filer folders. Documents will only open if appropriate software is on the computer. Student's work can be dynamic (e.g. show proofs through creating a simulation) (Yes, this is still a weblog.) wordDrafts Language: How has Microsoft Word changed the way students write? When they use the Comment feature, what kinds of language do students use to make recommendations? When they use Tracking Changes, what deletions, additions, or other changes do they make in other student's texts? Do we want them to be editing each other's writing or responding or what? Technology: Tracking Changes and Comments are nice features of Microsoft Word Use of Filer folders makes word available on a blog. "wordDraft" icon makes clear that the link will download a Word document Students upload Word documents with comments, and make links these in discussion pages. Exhibitions Language: How does the language change as different modes are employed with the text: images, sounds, animations (movement), hyperlinks (space)? Technology: From simple Stories with images to coding with javascript and Flash. How do we find time for this? In search of a metaphor: What is a Manila Weblog? Log on the Web? Digital Paper? Web Folder? Portal for the Composing Process? Category:East Side Community High School, NYC